They say a cheerful heart is good medicine.I believe a thankful one is too.
I have started a new tradition and that is to start my prayers at the end of the day, with thankfulness.
I will thank The Lord for something in my day that made me smile.
I will thank Him for a full evening with girlfriends.
Or thank Him for an opportunity He sent my way.
I will admit, sometimes it's hard.
Sometimes I have really bad days.
Those are the days I will choose to be thankful for the extremely small things.
I'm talking really small, such as being thankful I got to hear one of my favorite songs on the radio.
I believe there's something powerful about choosing thankfulness over dwelling in despair.

For me it has been a part of healing.
Yes, there is much to be sad about in life but there is also much to be thankful for.
Big moments with my son are difficult.
They are bittersweet.
The sad part is always that Joel isn't here to see them.
And that I can't look over at my husband and share in his joy as we delight in our sons joy.
That is a moment where I just have to choose thankfulness over despair.
It is most definitely a choice.
Not always the easier choice.

My son is obsessed with animals.
Elephants in particular.
This weekend he got to ride one.
A horse and a camel too.
He was in full amazement as he was face to face with animals he had only seen in books and videos.
I loved seeing his face light up.
It was another one of those good/hard moments.
But at the end of the day, when I put my head on my pillow, I chose thankfulness.
I thanked God for a wonderful day with my son and the joy on his face as he sat on an elephant.
And in one more tiny way I conquered despair.
No matter what you have in front of you or behind you, there is always something to be thankful for. Always.

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Sarah Rodriguez Rhodes

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Ellis Update: Today was a hard morning, guys. We got to the hospital & things just felt all wrong. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. Then the anesthesiologist had issues with some secretions Ellis was having that we were told amplified her risk during the surgery while under anesthesia. Given the past things we’ve walked through, we just decided it wasn’t a risk we were at all willing to take. So we made the decision to go home, re-group & do the surgery another day. Since the surgery is elective we had our medical teams full support in this decision. We are home now & doing well. This wasn’t an easy decision to make. For months we’ve prepared mentally, emotionally, schedule-wise, financially etc for this day. But we have to be lead by peace. And if those giving her medical care also weren’t completely at peace, it just wasn’t the right time, for whatever reason. I don’t always understand the “why” but I won’t always & I’m ok with that. We appreciate your prayers & promise to keep you informed of when her surgery will be in the coming months. Also, the day wasn’t a complete loss...Ellis did get to hang with the cute hospital dog-so at least that part was a win ☺️ Looking for some kind of humor-it’s been a rough day.

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